Starting device for internal-combustion engines.



H. R. SETZ. STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLKUATION FILED MAR. 24, 1913.

.IUUW YWZ, Patented June 2, 19m.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 191-21.

Application. filed March 24, 1913. Serial No. 756,438.

. To all whom it may concrat, i J

lie it known that l, llan's li. Sara, a citizen of the Republic of Switzerland, and a resident of the city oi": St. Louis and State or ll/lisso'uri, in the United States of rlmer-- lea, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starting Devlees for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a starting device for internal combustion engines, such as those of the Diesel type, the object being to provide a simple and elficient'means for distributing air under pressure to the engine cylinders to impart the initial or starting movement to the engine.

The preferred form of my invention comprises inlet valves operable to admit air my der pressure to the engine cylinders and/a controller valve for distributing fluid upder pressure soas to operate said inlet valves.-

lligure l is a diagrammatical view of my starting device for internal combustion engine's: lllig.T ll isa longitudinal section (it the controllerwalve,showing the shaft for Fig. 1H is a section taken approximately on the line Milk-ill, Figfflll, Fig. IV is a section taken approximately on the line 1 --lV, Fig. ll. Fig. V is a vertical section showing a portion of one of the cylinder heads and the inlet valve for controlling the admission of fluid under pressure to the cylinder.

in the accompanying drawings: 1, 2 and 3 designate the cylinders of a three cylinder internal combustion engine, and is a man ifold for conducting fluid, (for instance, air), under pressure to the cylinders. Each cylinder head is provided with an inlet port lti 5 communicating with thelnanilold and an inlet valve 6 for controlling the admission of fluid under pressure. in preparation for starting the engine. a valve 7 (Fig. l) is opened to admit fluid pressure medium utilized to start the engine, to the heads of all of the cylinders. l t should be here noted that the inlet valves 3 are balanced or so constructed that they will not be opened under the PIOHFHH? of lhomedium referred to and that each inlet valve is opened at the proper time to admit the pressure me dium into the cylinder cmrrpoiulingthereto by the valve operating and control device to be hereinafter described.

Each inlet valve (1 has a stem 8 provided with a piston '9, the latter being fitted to a piston barrel 10.

ll desie'nates a sirin surrmlndin the valve stem 8 and bearing against piston 9 to force the v: lve (3 onto its seat. in starting the engine, the valves 6 are opened at the proper periods by the introduction of fluid under pressure'into the upper ends of piston barrels 10, thereby forcing the pistons 9 down 'ardly against the resistance offered by the springs 11.

The means for conducting fluid under pressure to the piston barrels 10 comprises distributor pipes 19 leading from a valve :asing 13, and a pipe l t for supplying the fluid to said valve casing. The fluid under pressure is distributed to the pipes 12 through the medium of a rotary controller valve 15 arnnged in the valve casing 18 and driven in unison with the engine, as will be hereinafter described. The valve casing 13 is formed with an annular inlet chamber 16 and ports 17 leading from said inlet chamber to the controller valve 15. The valve 15 is formed with a passageway 18 adapted to place the inlet ports 17 in communication with outlet ports 19 in the valve casing 13. The outlet ports 19 corree spend in number to the number of engine cylinders and each of said outlet ports com inunicates with one of the distributor pipes 12. A valve stem 20 is splined to the controller valve 15 by a key 521, said key being fitted to the valve stem so that it will enter a keyway ina cam shaft 23 when the valve occupies a predetermined position with respect to said cam shaft. Jim operating handle at pivoted at is fitted to the outer. end of the valve stem 20 to provide for shifting of said-valve stem toward and away from the cam shaft 23. Before starting the engine the controller valve 15 is turned to locate the key 21 in alinement with the keyway 22 in the cam shaft 23 and to facilitate this operation the valve stem 20 is provided with a non-circular head 26, to Which a wrench or other suitable implement may be applied. 'lhc cam shaft 23 is driven by the engine in any suitable manner and when the key 21 is engaged with the cam shaft the rotary controlha valve 15 is positioned to dis ribute fluid under pressure to the proper piston barrels at the desired timesso that the inlet valves 6 will be opened to admit fluid under pressure from the manifold 4 to the engine cylinders 1, 2 and 3. .The controller valve 15 rotates in unison with the cam shaft during the starting movement of the engine and the fluid under pressure supplied to the valve casing 13 through the pipe 14, enters the annular chamber 16 and is then distributed to the pipes 12, it is intendedto enter, through the single passageway 18 in the controller valve and the'outlet ports 19 in the valve casing. To permit the fluid to exhaust from the valve cy inderslO, the controller valve 15 is' formed with anv exhaust port 27 (Fig.

II) and a peripheral exhaust channel 28 communicating with said exhaust port. Fig. III shows that the exhaust channel 28 registers with the ports 19 so that the exhaust fluid from the piston barrels 10 ispermitted to return through pipes 12 and escape to the atmosphere through the ports 19, exhaust channel 28 and exhaust port 27. After the, desired starting movement is imparted to the engine the valve 7 in the manisaid annular valve seat, said valve casing the inlet ports in the valve casing and also having a discharge port adapted to register successively with said dischargeports, said valve being provided with a passagewayleading from its inlet port to its discharge port.

2. A fluid distributing device of the character described comprising a valve casing, a rotary valve in said valve casing, a valve shaft splined to said rotary valve, and a drive shaft adapted to interlock With said valve shaft; combined with a shifter lever for moving said valve shaft into engagement with said drive shaft, said valve shaft being rotatably fitted to said shifter lever so that the valve shaft is free to rotate independently of said shifter lever.

3. A fluid distributing device of the character described comprising a valve casing provided with inlet and discharge ports, a rotary valve provided with a passageway adapted to communicate with said inlet and discharge ports, a valve shaft splined to said rotary valve, a drive shaft adapted to be interlocked with said valve shaft, said valve shaft being adjustable with respect to-said drive shaft, and a lever for shifting said valve shaft into engagement With said drive shaft, the said valve shaft being rotatably fitted to said'lever.

H. R. SETZ.

In the presence of M. FALVEY, E. B. LINN. 

